Method of connecting the panels of field-fences



UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

SAMUEL F. JONES, OF MILFORD, INDIANA.

METHOD OF CONNECTING THE PANELS OF FIELD-FENCES.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 17,742, dated July 7, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. JONES, of Milford, in the county of Decatur, in the State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure (1) is a perspective view; 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detail drawings, of which Fig. (2) is the brace; Fig. (3) the manner in which the angle is formed; Fig. (4) the manner of connecting the panels; Fig. (5) is a brace to support a fence running up or down hill; and Fig. (6) shows the means of lengthening the braces for side hill fencing or crossing a pond of water or small stream.

The nature of myinvention consists in connecting fence panels with tongue and grooves and binding or fastening them together with hooks at the top of the Vanels, and key to prevent them from being ifted apart, also in constructing portable aperture braces, with foot pieces for side hill fencing, or crossing Water; also in constructing a brace for supportinu the fence lengthwise in fencing up or down inn.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction.

The rails S S S S S, in Fig. (l) are twelve feet long, siX inches wide, and one inch thick, the battens, Y Y, are four feet long, four inches wide, and one thick; the cap K is twelve feet long, four inches wide and one inch thick. To construct my panel with tongue (g) and groove (h), I lay down two battens twelve feet apart and one batten in the center between them. I then lay my rails (S) on the battens (T) letting one end of the rails project one inch beyond the battens at one end of the panel, thus forming the tongue (g) while the battens at the other end of the panel project one inch beyond the ends of the rails, then lay the other on the ends of the rails over the other battens, thus forming the groove (h), then I lay on the other center batten and the batten at the other end of the panel directly over the batten underneath the rails and nail fast with eight penny fencing nails; then cut off two inches of the top of the battens at each end of the panel to receive hooks (r r) over the battens and under the cap (K).

These Figs. 2,

h ooks are made of plank four inches wide, slxteen inches long, and one inch thick, with a notch in one edge eight inches long and two inches deep placed over the top of batten (Y) in Fig. (4) and nailed to the side of the top rail even at the upper edge. The cap (K) in Fig. (1) is twelve feet long, four inches wide, and one inch thick, the cap is nailed on the upper edge of the top rail, projecting over the hooks (r r) at one end and falling the same distance at the other end to receive the cap and hooks of the next panel. Key (d) is four inches wide, twelve inches long, and one inch thick, slipped between the battens, and rails to prevent the hooks from being lifted or thrown 0E, thus permanently connecting the panels together and at the same time so constructed that each and any panel of the fence can easily be removed by taking out the key and lifting off the panel. I form a corner by nailing the battens even with the ends of rails S S S S S in Fig. (1). I then nail to the ends of rails S S in Fig. (3) and even with the out edge of the outside batten a stri two inches wide, four feet long, and one inc thick, with the top end even with the upper edge of the top rail S; I then nail batten (Y) on this strip four inches wide, three feet ten inches long, and one inch thick, even at the bottom and out edge and falling below the under stri two inches at the to thus forming groove 7L) and projection (P in Fig. (3). The tongue on the connecting panel is formed as before described; the corners are confined together at the bottom with oblique blocks. (e) (e) the lower one nailed to batten (Y) on panel (G) in Fig. (1) and the upper one to batten (Y) on panel (C). A pin put in hole (t) over the to lock will revent these panels from being ifted a art; the hooks (r r) and cap (K) on pane (C) drop over the end of anel (G) and projection (P) in Fig. (3) thus orming a complete and substantial corner or angle.

I construct my portable brace (a) in Fig. (2) of plank four inches Wide and one inch thick, four uprights to the brace, two of them cut oblique at the to the others are cut down six inches from t e top, then cut square across forming catch (fr) in Fig. (2). I then lay down one of each kind, then lay on the bottom slat (n) eight inches from the foot of the brace and a triangle block (o) on the point, then lay on the other two pieces reverse from the under ones, so that one catch (x) will be on each side of the brace,

back

then nail together with eight penny fencing nails through the brace, slat, (n) and triangle block (O), thus forming apertures (b) in each side of the brace, to receive the binding slat (c), which passes through the aperture in the brace and under the second rail from the top of the fence pinned at (u u) at each end of slat (c), giving one-fourth-inch draw, thus binding the points of the brace together, catch (fr) coming under the top rail and the point of the brace under the cap (K), bound to the top rail by slat (c), making a irm and substantial brace. Notch (V) in the under edge of slat (n) and over the upper edge of the lower rail holds the felice perpendicular, so that it can not be blown or pushed to the right or left. This brace is connected to the fence by slipping it between the first and second rails from the bottom slat near the lace it is to be, then spring the points of the iirace apart and raise it up to its proper place and insert the binding slat and pin fast.

(m) in Fig. (6)`is a footpiece for lengthening the brace for side hill fencing. This footpiece is made by nailing strips together of the same material that the brace is made of any length required, leaving the middle piece eight inches the longest, thus forming Va tenon to be inserted into the foot of the brace and nailed or inned fast, thus forming a substantial side ill brace in crossing a pond of water or small stream. When a fence is moved from one locality to another instead of making new braces, insert two of these footpieces, one on each side, any length to suit the depth of the water, nail them fast, and you have a good substantial brace, with little or no additional expense.

Fig. (5) is a representation of a brace to sup ort the fence lengthwise in running up or own hill. I construct this brace of thev same kind of material that I do the others. I cut two pieces (J) any length re uired, cut to 4fit against the top edge of t e middle batten (Y) and under cap (K), the sill is three-fourths the length of brace (J), two u rights j, their length is governed by tllOe length of the brace; the upper end of these uprights are fitted in an oblong notch cut in the under edges of brace (J) and nailed at the point, then one of these is laid down and the sill laid on the foot of brace (J) and upright (s), then the other part of the brace is laidY onY and nailed fast at the foot'of the brace (J) and upright (s), thus forming a portable aperture brace for bracing lengthwise up and down hill. This brace can be attached to the fence without trouble 5 when putting up the fence slip it astride of the fence from the bottom, one-half of the brace on each side of the fence, bringing the top edge ofthe sill to the under edge of the bottom rail of the fence, securing it toits place by inserting a pin in hole (u) in Fig. (5), passing over the u per edge of the bottom rail and through t e brace on the opposite side; also insert a pin in hole ('L) in Fig. (l) front of the uprights (j) in Fig. (5) and drive a stake firmly into theground for the foot of the brace to rest against.

I do not claim as my invention simply the brace and bottom Slat and notch, as the same has before been known and used, but

I claim:

The method of connecting the panels of a eld fence, by tongues and grooves, g, h, and hook, r, r,' combined as set forth and shown.

SAMUEL F. JONES. Witnesses:

WILLIAM T. JACKSON, WILLIAM A. MANDLovE. 

